"Wendy... you've suffered so much these past few years..."
Theresa hugged Wendy, who was sitting in her wheelchair, her words filled with apology. If it weren't for her, Wendy might have become Schicksal's newest S-rank Valkyrie. She was the one who had sent Wendy away, shattering her hopes...
Whenever she thought of this, Theresa felt extremely guilty. Yet, because of her own desire for the gem, she couldn't bring Wendy back to St. Freya Academy...
However, now that Wendy had returned safely, she naturally couldn't let her suffer any more grievances!
"Teacher Theresa... I..."
Wendy looked at the Theresa before her, momentarily at a loss for words.
Human emotions are complex, but at this moment, Wendy had never felt her inner thoughts to be so tangled.
The joy of reuniting with her teacher, the resentment toward her for abandoning her, the longing to return to St. Freya, and the nervous anxiety of coming home.
Wendy could only look to Wende. She... she really didn't know what to say...
Right now, she was just a "patient" who had been disabled for three years and needed Wende's help with rehabilitation in every way.
Sensing Wendy's predicament, Wende sighed silently. He walked to her side, patted her on the shoulder, and gave her a firm, encouraging nod.
"I... Teacher, I..."
As if drawing strength from Wende's gesture, Wendy's small body began to tremble, and tears filled her cyan-green eyes.
"Why... why did you only come to get me now? I've waited for you for three whole years..."
Tears streamed down Wendy's face. Perhaps for her now, the most important thing wasn't to scold Theresa, but to release all the grievances of the past three years in an emotional outburst.
"I'm sorry... Wendy, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect it to turn out like this..."
Theresa lowered her head, her eyes slightly red.
She was already a grown woman; logically, she shouldn't be so sentimental. But seeing Wendy, whose life had been ruined by her own misjudgment, she was filled with remorse. Had she... messed things up again?
Had she forgotten her original intention in establishing St. Freya Academy?
"Auntie..."
Kiana felt a pang of pity seeing Theresa like this and was about to comfort her, but Himeko shook her head and stopped her.
This was a mistake Theresa had to face herself. Neither Wendy nor Theresa should be disturbed by outsiders, not even by Wende. He had only given Wendy the courage to speak her mind.
In the end, Wendy forgave Theresa. Because Wende had said he would let her run on the grass again. Compared to that, her past three years... couldn't be dismissed with a laugh, but aside from resentment, she chose to take the time to let go.
After all, she was still her teacher…
---o---
Theresa specially arranged a separate apartment for Wende and Wendy. Firstly, for Wendy's convenience in her daily life, and secondly, because Wende was the only man in the entire academy besides Welt, so he naturally needed special treatment.
After moving into their new home at St. Freya, Wendy was initially still immersed in her previous feelings of grievance, but after being comforted by Wende, she temporarily put the matter aside.
So! Moving into a new home! An indispensable ritual is!
A good meal!
Although Wendy had moved twice in just over a week, this sense of ritual was essential. And out of Wende's fatherly mentality, he wanted to take this opportunity to let Wendy get to know everyone in the academy, since she was the only student left from her year…
Well, building good relationships is always a good thing.
So Wende invited the three little ones, Fu Hua, Himeko, Theresa, and Rita… naturally, he didn't let them off the hook either. Bringing them along to help out was a good idea.
Anyway, Rita wouldn't be able to get anything out of him. In 32 days, when the real-world Honkai: Star Rail updated, he would have to go back... Thinking about it, he was a little reluctant to leave the cute Wendy. Maybe because both their names had 'Wen' in them, Wende saw Wendy more like a little sister, and a seriously ill one at that.
But it didn't matter. She would recover. Wende said so, and what Wende says, goes. Not even a god could change it!
Thus, a very grand welcome feast unfolded in Wende and Wendy's apartment.
Rita, Mei, and Wende, the three master chefs, personally cooked. Over a dozen dishes were presented on the table, making Fu Hua, who had just been called over, think for a moment that it was the New Year...
Perhaps because the Himeko in this world was... exceptionally unrestrained, they ended up drinking together while chatting. Not that he could get drunk, of course...
In the end, under Fu Hua's apologetic gaze, she had to single-handedly carry the dead-drunk Himeko back home.
During the feast, as if sensing Wende's intentions, the relationship between Wendy and the three little ones gradually became more harmonious and familiar. This was a good thing. With the protection of the main character party, nothing unexpected should happen even after he left.
As for Theresa, she still felt guilty toward Wendy and was being counseled by Rita.
Though from the looks of it, Rita seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit...
---o---
After the party dispersed, Wende and Wendy said goodbye to the trio. Theresa had said that Wendy could resume classes at the academy in a week. Although for Wendy, these were courses she had already passed many times, since this was a fresh start, she didn't refuse.
That night, as was his routine, Wende gave Wendy a full-body relaxation massage, infusing Chaos power into her body to neutralize the friction between her and the Gem of Desire.
This was also to help Wendy recover her ability to walk normally faster, but...
Wende gently massaged Wendy's legs, a strange expression on his face as he felt her body.
What's going on? How did the Gem of Desire fuse with Wendy's body? When did this happen? How did I not know?
Seeing Wendy's still flushed face and tightly closed eyes, Wende breathed a sigh of relief.
Wendy is still Wendy. As for the Gem of Desire… it doesn't matter where it is.
Right, the weather in the Far East was completely different from that in Oceania; he'd felt a chill when he got off the plane… Since that was the case, should he knit Wendy a scarf?
Hmm, keeping warm was important; it seemed he couldn't indulge Wendy's bad habit of not liking to wear shoes anymore.
---o---
A week later.
"Remember to get along well with your classmates in class today. If you have any questions, you can ask Mei and the others. Oh, and don't secretly drink milk tea."
After putting on Wendy's shoes and socks, Wende said to her seriously.
"Okay!"
Wendy nodded vigorously, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Alright, they're waiting for you."
Wende smiled, opening the door and gently pushing Wendy out in her wheelchair.
"Wendy! Good morning!"
"Yes, good morning, Kiana."
"Wendy, I got you the latest review materials. Although you've already passed all of these, Bronya noticed some discrepancies between your previous and current textbooks, so I've organized them for you."
"Okay! Thank you, Bronya!"
"Let's go to class first. Today's first class is Mr. Yang's history class..."
"Huh? Is Mr. Yang that male teacher?"
"Yes, yes, let me tell you..."
Watching the four walk away, Wende nodded with satisfaction. Youth is truly wonderful... (A sigh from Wende in his twenties.)